Backyard fungi discovered to break down plastic in just 140 days.

Researchers at the University of Sydney have successfully biodegraded polypropylene, a hard-to-recycle plastic, using two strains of fungi. The fungi were able to break down the plastic by 21% over 30 days of incubation, and by 25%–27% over 90 days. Polypropylene accounts for roughly 28% of the world's plastic waste, but only 1% of it is recycled. The researchers hope their method could reduce plastic pollution and lead to a greater understanding of how plastic pollution might biodegrade naturally under certain conditions.